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Rheinmetall
| foundation = 13 April 1889 | founder = Heinrich Ehrhardt | location_city = Düsseldorf | location_country = Germany | key_people = Klaus Eberhardt (CEO and chairman of the executive board), Klaus Greinert (Chairman of the supervisory board) | industry = Automotive, defense | products = Automotive parts, military vehicles and systems | revenue = €3.989 billion (2010) | operating_income = €297 million (2010) | net_income = €162 million (2010) | assets = €4.460 billion (end 2010) | equity = €1.355 billion (end 2010) | num_employees = 19,980 (end 2010) | homepage = www.rheinmetall.com | intl = yes }} Rheinmetall AG is a German automotive and defence company with factories in Düsseldorf, Kassel and Unterlüß. The company has a long tradition of making guns and artillery pieces. The company is also involved in a variety of advanced metal-working and milling technologies, allowing it to provide special high-quality components for small arms in addition to heavy weapon production. History With help from a consortium of banks, Rheinische Metallwaren- und Maschinenfabrik Aktiengesellschaft was founded on 13 April 1889 by Heinrich Ehrhardt (born 1840 in Zella/Rhön - died in 1928 Zella-Mehlis). During the Spanish Civil War, Rheinmetall-Borsig, then controlled by Hermann Goering, was a major supplier of arms to the Spanish Republicans, to Goering’s profit, even though German forces were fighting with the Spanish Nationalists. They were shipped via Pyrkal in Greece. Rheinmetall built the MG 42, the Wehrmacht's main general-purpose medium machine gun. Its successor, the MG3, is still used by the Bundeswehr, as well as other armies. Rheinmetall made bomb fuses during World War II. The most notable was a double-capacitor design, invented by Herbert Ruhlman and patented in the UK before the war, which was particularly dangerous to defuse should the bomb not explode on impact. Many bomb disposal personnel were killed. The patent for the fuse was filed in the UK two years before Hitler came to power in 1933. The UK Armed Forces spotted this and reference to the patent helped enormously with disarming these early bombs, although Rheinische Metallwaren- und Maschinenfabrik Aktiengesellschaft and Ruhlman constantly innovated with many new electrical fuses being added to the Luftwaffe armoury throughout the war. The U.S. Patent Office put a 32-year secrecy order on a similar patent by the University of Illinois in 1948. In 1990 the company acquired a majority stake in the military vehicle production facilities of Krupp's Kiel plant; MaK System GmbH. In 1993 Rheinmetall acquired Mauser AG and in 1996 and 1999 the majority share-holdings of STN Atlas and Oerlikon Contraves, all of which are major European defense companies. STN Atlas was later split into Atlas Elektronik and Rheinmetall Defence Electronics, the latter is now a full subsidiary of Rheinmetall. In March 2008, Rheinmetall acquired Dutch defence company Stork PKV. Military products Examples include: Modern * Rheinmetall 120mm Gun: both the L44 and L55 versions which arm the Leopard 2, M1A1 and A2 and Type 90 MBT * Rheinmetall M35: 105 mm main gun of the M8 Armored Gun System * 155 mm L52 Artillery Gun: main gun of PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzer * MG3: 7.62 mm universal machine gun * RMK30: a 30 mm recoilless, caseless autocannon * Rheinmetall LTA2: main gun of TAM tank * MK 20 Rh202: 20 mm autocannon, primary armament of Marder, Luchs and Wiesel armoured fighting vehicles * Rheinmetall 20mm Twin Anti-Aircraft Cannon: anti-aircraft gun * GDM-008 Millennium: 35 mm naval air-defence gun * Skyguard: 35 mm air-defence gun system * Skyshield: 35 mm air-defence gun system * MANTIS (counter rocket, artillery and mortar): very short range air-defence system * MLG 27: 27 mm remote controlled autocannon, used on many ships of the German Navy * AGF (Light infantry vehicle) * Rheinmetall YAK: armoured wheeled vehicle * Wiesel AWC: armoured weapons carrier in different versions * GTK Boxer: multirole armoured vehicle * Puma (IFV): next generation infantry fighting vehicle of the German Army * TPz Fuchs: multirole armoured vehicle * LeFlaSys: light air-defence missile system, based on Wiesel 2 * Jacket cradle of Oto Melara * KZO: tactical UAV * IdZ-ES: The German Bundeswehr's Future Soldier program * Nanuk Remotely Controlled Weapon Station (Rheinmetall Defence Canada) * Amarok Remotely Controlled Weapon Station (Rheinmetall Defence Canada) * Qimek Remotely Controlled Weapon Station (Rheinmetall Defence Canada) * NBC protection systems * Ammunition * Cargo loading and aviation systems * Simulators * NBC reconnaissance systems * Mobile Power Distribution Systems (MPDS) WWII and pre-WWII Products * QF 15 pounder: field gun sold to Britain in 1900 * 7.5cm Kwk 42 (L/70): tank gun that was used in the famed German Panther tank of World War II * 7.5 cm Leichtgeschütz 40: recoilless gun predominantly used by paratroops during World War II * 88 mm gun: Flak and anti-tank gun of World War II * Solothurn S-18/1000: 20 mm Anti-Tank rifle * Rheinmetall MK 108: well-known WWII 30 mm Gallery Image:Leopard 2 A6M.JPG|Leopard 2A6 Image:120-2048 IMG.JPG|GTK Boxer Image:PzH2000.Ger.jpg|PzH 2000 of the German Army Image:Serval 2.jpg|AGF File:Autocannon MLG27.jpg|MLG 27 on board an Elbe class tender of the German Navy Image:Ozelot.jpg|Wiesel 2 in the Ozelot anti-air version of LeFlaSys References External links * * Category:Companies based in Düsseldorf Category:Defence companies of Germany Category:Engineering companies of Germany Category:Companies of Germany